originally posted by dimmer on Thursday November 13, @08:42PM
from the Cures_For_Fundamentalism dept.

Anyone looking to hire an unemployed fundamentalist Christian? If so, Roy Moore is out of a job. This unanimous ruling is 100% deserved. If you don't know the story behind this, Roy Moore was the Alabama Supreme Court's Chief Justice. He was elected into that position, running as the "10 Commandments Judge" (so named because of the wooden plaque of the 10 commandments hanging on the wall in his courtroom - he was actually sued to remove the plaque, but the Alabama governor intervened and the plaque stayed). In a highly Christian state, Roy Moore easily won the judgeship. Then without warning, and without consent, in 2001 Roy Moore had a 2.5 ton monument set on the rotunda in the Alabama Supreme Court building. Most people saw this as a clear violation of separation of Church and State, including a federal court that ordered him to remove the monument. A 2.5 ton monument is a bit harder to overlook than a wooden plaque. I think that Moore knew this, and set this monument in place just to gain fame, and create an issue where there was none before. I'm sure he imagined a Christian army of believers coming to his rescue, and with the public supporting him, he would be triumphant; enabling him to further embed Christianity in the USA. The Christian army never materialized. Some Christians came to the courthouse to support him, but others came to lambast him. Eventually, the 8 other Alabama Supreme Court Justices unanimously voted against him, asking that the monument be removed. Moore stubbornly fought back (unsuccessfully), his "defense" resting in the the Alabama State and United States Constitutions. Since Moore disobeyed the federal court by not removing the monument, today he has been removed (read: fired) from office by a judicial panel.[On why he was removed from office] Moore said:"...it's very wrong for a public official to be excluded from his office because of his religious beliefs and the acknowledgement of God. The acknowledgement of God is a predicate upon which this nation and our country was founded. It's contained in the First Amendment. The very first amendment gives us the right to acknowledge God. And our state Constitution says that our justice system is established upon God. That's what this issue is about, whether or not a state official can acknowledge God, and the court said we cannot.(source)." Moore's description sounds dodgy. So, I took a look at the Alabama State Constitution, and found, that only 3 sections mention God. The only section that speaks of a relationship with God is the Preamble: "We, the people of the State of Alabama, in order to establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution and form of government for the State of Alabama."

Sections 186 and 279 only mention the word "God" because they contain oaths that people swear, which include the phrase "...so help me God." Notice nothing is mentioned about Alabama law being based on God, indeed in section 2 of the constitution, we see where the power of Alabama's government is derived: "That all political power is inherent in the people, and all free governments are founded on their authority, and instituted for their benefit; and that, therefore, they have at all times an inalienable and indefeasible right to change their form of government in such manner as they may deem expedient."

It is also worthwhile to read section 3 on religious freedom: "That no religion shall be established by law; that no preference shall be given by law to any religious sect, society, denomination, or mode of worship; that no one shall be compelled by law to attend any place of worship; nor to pay any tithes, taxes, or other rate for building or repairing any place of worship, or for maintaining any minister or ministry; that no religious test shall be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under this state; and that the civil rights, privileges, and capacities of any citizen shall not be in any manner affected by his religious principles."

Do you think that acting as a government authority, and not putting his private beliefs aside, Roy Moore may have undermined the Alabama State and US Constititions? I think he entirely misunderstands the first amendment (or section three of the Alabama Constitution), namely that freedom of religion also entails freedom from religion.

But what about the US Constitution that Moore cites, might that help him? Well, if you don't count "in the year of our lord" (a colloquialism) as a reference to God, God appears in the United States Constitution a whopping ZERO times. That's right, nada, zip, zilch, zero. If I could suggest some reading to Moore, I would advise him to move forward two millennia and read texts from the Enlightenment (some Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire) to see that human rights, freedoms, and governments are not based on God, but on the people themselves in a social contract.

Yes, Alabama's state constitution admits belief in God. Since Alabama has been governed under 6 different constitutions in the past, what's another revision? Roy Moore should be grateful that he was able to go about his business and skirt the system for as long as he did. To be a state Supreme Court Justice and completely ignorant of the source of his power is reprehensible. I wish those persuing the matter success in disbarring Roy Moore. Unfortunately, not all is hunky-dory as we will hear from Moore again when he tries to run for another (legislative or executive, as opposed to judicial) public office. From the look of things, Alabama still has a long way to go.